ja2austintx

I didn't see whatever got taken down, and the only I request I saw was regarding screenshots. Hence, my question.

Is it OK for people to post the prelim positions? If so, can somebody do it?

This is not an excuse, and I don't even know if it was a factor, but my kids (both of whom are in the Mac band) said their start was rough because the narration was so loud the band couldn't hear the pit. This was allegedly prior to the point where scoring starts, and the feeling was they recovered, but I'm sure it created some anxiety. At a contest like this, there's just so little margin for error and all the bands are so good I can completely see how scores flip, which doesn't even credit the other bands for killing it in their shows. (Shoot, I don't have to imagine it -- I've been there both in marching band and in DCI Finals. You're expecting your best run of the year, something beyond your control goes wonky, and voila! things change in a heartbeat. It's just the nature of the beast.) Major props to Mac's local competition, Dripping Springs, Weiss, Cedar Park and Rouse. Central Texas is well represented!

Well, if they can sneak in maybe they'll overtake DS in finals. They've come out ahead all 3 times this season so far. I love DS' show, though, and I'm a sucker for the all-white uniforms.

Anybody see McCallum?

Does anybody know if there is a difference between GA5 and GA6 on the ticketmaster website? Looking for 2 tickets to 5A Finals tomorrow.

McCallum has a more dynamic sound than Dripping Springs, with a more difficult book. Musically, they're superior. Visually, I'd say both are pretty clean, but Mac's uniforms hide dirt better. I'd give the nod to DS in guard, by a fair margin. All in all it balances out to a slight edge for Mac, as seen at both Cap City and Area.

For sake of argument, let me ask this with regards to music, even though it could also be asked of visual performance: In a UIL competition, if two bands play the heck out of their book, with zero room for criticism, would they be expected to tie on the judges' sheets, or would the band that plays the more difficult music tend to come out ahead?

How would I find scores from various contests this year? Is there a master database? Individual contests can vary wildly in their efforts to stay up to date. Some just have skeletal Facebook pages. I'd like to see how various Austin 5A bands have done in events where they've competed against schools from farther away.

Found the Not Hebron video . . . holy smokes that's a big band.

Is public video of Flower Mound, Marcus, or Hebron available, or is it all behind paywalls?

Is it ridiculous to think a band might intentionally take on a show with more difficulty than most years simply because they know they have a longer season in which to clean? Why must this imply that they are avoiding getting as clean as possible as soon as possible? This forum reminds me of some DCI forums, which is to say "pedantic". It is impossible to craft a show such that it will peak exactly a day before nationals (or state or whatever). What can be done is that staff can assess the band's expected talent ahead of time and try to develop a show that has just enough difficulty where it isn't "too clean too soon", but even that involves risk.

Does Weiss have a guard or is it exclusively dance? I don't recall seeing any equipment work but plenty of featured group dance (and they were very very good at that). I would think that if there were any significant scoring emphasis on equipment work they would struggle in that category.

Thanks for the quick reply. Mac didn't go to a BOA contest this year so I had no reference. I had a feeling BOA was more "DCI-like" just given the success of programs like Avon in the BOA heirarchy. I aged out too long ago to have performed in the modern "body movement" era so I don't really have a good feel for what's difficult or easy. Drill certainly seems less difficult these days and there is less playing while moving, but I think the music books can be plenty difficult. Mac's has a lot of well-performed high-exposure stuff, including both brass soloists who are absolutely terrific. (They should be given their Fine Arts Academy training.) Lots of complex ensemble work, with double-tongued brass call & response, etc. Mac guard is not at the level of some of the Pflugerville or DS schools, but other than that it seemed like a very tight contest in Area D with Mac's edge in music making the biggest difference to me. Best of luck to all who advanced!

Could someone elaborate on the difference between a band "built for UIL" and one "built for BOA"? I am a McCallum dad and drum corps vet, so I understand the activity, but I don't know what those two styles specifically reference. So glad to see Mac Band continue to advance. They've worked incredibly hard (as have no doubt all the bands).